bruneel



Feb. 3, 1931. c, BRUN L 1,790,791

IAUTQMATIC CLUTCH CONTROL Filed Jan. 18, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 1F Qifi. 6 [4011: BIN/HEEL ATTORNEYS Feb. 3,1931. c. BRUNEEL 1,790,791

AUTOMATIC CLUTCH CONTROL Filed Jan. 18, 1927 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CAM/LLE finuunu WI g.

ATTORNEYS I -tented Feb- 3, 1931 i, V v I mnminnvmnn; orr enm mnerseogmmr nme Ammonium';cLumci ;jeo1\ir3OL I 'IApiisa n med nimiiyi12,1921 .rse aiiiw16 ,991;' I

i invention relates to anternatic cbntro1s provide a cylinder 5 seciired-byabracket-d for regulating the engagement of clutches to some statiqnary :part' of ithe t e hicle and ie'r automobiles' andthe like soithat'theload within whijch is s'lidably'arijanged-at'qppesite required to be carried by the motor is finends a-pair ofplungers 7 ands; The hingi 5 creased or decreased in accorda-ncewith the ere-may be of any-suitiable typepr 'fi erahly speed of the m otcr thereby preventing too prbvided with a flexiblewasher-WtO'forman.

greata'lead ta he'imposed on the motorso as air-tight fit'again'st the cylinder wall. V tqcalise stalling or choking therecf. 'The; -plunger7 isseeuredcnthe eiidcfa An object oftheiinvention is to provide an shaft .10 which extends cutwardly off: the cyl- 0 apparatns of this character which is operainder in a "direction toward-thmotor and,

' tively attached t9 thedrive shaft'ofthewehimay he supported -near'its iorward end "by cle on'the'one hand and 'co-cperablywengageabracketll' through'which the shaft is' slidf able with apart carried by the'fly wheel'o-f ably fitted. Upn the forward; end ctrthe the motor on the other hand and adapted-to shaft {is arranged a; clamp 12 which isalso 15 control the engagement of the clutch-0f the secured Qn'therear end-(jf-a rod 13,-the rod machine so 'asto accolnplish siichengagenient '13 being ofl-setfrqm the shaft and centinu- V in'annhre even andsmbother manner-1 inglforwardly thereof in parallel relation,

' i A Lfurther' dbject' of the invention is to The =fqrward endnf-tfher6d'13'is-slidably provide a deviceofthischaracter which is arrangedgwithin "{a bracket 14 secured to a I .3 adaptedfor'installing on practically all'mo st'atidnary'part of the-engine frame adjacent tors employing the use 'of a clutch, without theflywheel15 f'the'mct0r. V requiring anyehang'es in the construction of Tlie rod I3-is provided with a trip 16 pivthe; motor; ;which; -is 'efli'cient in operation and totally m i- 1nt-ed on a pin 1-7 extendi'ng transrlatively inexpensive to -manufacture. verse'ly through a slot formed intherod', the I Qtherob'jects and advantages-resideflin the trip being-weighted-at 'Qne end so as to cause ccmbinati'on' rangeinem; nd constrn'ctiqn' -1suchweighted en'dtcnorrnally drep d'o wn-,

of the various' elements forming part Of the wardly, thusraisingtheoppgsite end which inventionasmorefully hereinafterdeseribed is prdvided-with a'lii'g18-wherehy t0 caiise the and claimed intheifollowing specifieatibn, same toengagethe'i-edge'df-the bracket-14 v, reference being had t 'the; accompanying and thiis preventitherearward-movement of drawingsformingpart hereofwhereinlilze r-the rod J 1 7 3 numerals refer tolikeparts throughoutand Up'onthelfiy wheelliil arranged a plate 7, in which 7 w 7 F- I 19 figzedly seciired'atone endandhaviiigit's Figure lis'a-plan iew'ofjmy invention opposite end loosely secur'e'dbyfa screw '20 V showing its relative position with respect' to slidahlyarranged ina's10t-21previded in-the g0 portions ofa Vehicle driiievlnechanisin; qf "plate; The plate i's provid ed with ;a leaf 5 Figure 2 isa rear endwiewthereef; spring-22-arrangedt0brush;againstthe 10wv Figure 3 isa sectionalviewtakenlsubstaner-{end o'f 'theitrip' as'the fly Wheelis -rotated =tially -along' a line 33 fF-igu're 1; a 1 and the cent'rifiigal 'force {upon the' spri ng j 40 Figure-4 is a longitudinal-section by-such rotation dperatesto raise the 'spring throughthe-cylinder,and I from the flywheel and asthe 'same engages Figure 5-isa, detail 0f= he -trip; j thetrip'thelnglg is releasedto permit the Referring new to the'dr-awings wherein for rodyl3-fto slide rearwardly as hereinafter {ex- 1 thepurpose of illustrationI'havedisclcsed plained. I

a referred;elnhodi nentef I An air port 43 is formed jerking 7 spindle and slidably arranged longitudinally thereof,the gear being internally threaded for engagement with the spindle. A vertical pin carried by the front arm of'a bracket 32 and disposed within alslot 31 formed in the spindle prevents the rotation of the shaft 27 The bracket32is also provided with a transverse bore for receiving one end of a shaft 33 whichextends through the-transmission housing 34 and is rotatably engaged by a gear 35'carried on the drive shaft of the vehicle. Agovernor is arranged onthe shaft 33 comprising arms 36 pivotally w connected-by pins 371 andhaving their ends pivotally attached to a pair of collars 38 and 39arranged upon the shaft 33 inspaced relation. The collar 39 is slidably arranged thereon.. A" sleeve 40 is also slidably carried on the shaft and may be integrally formed with the collar 39 and upon said-sleeve is provided agplurality ofspaced apart iribs"4l,.constir tuting a rack which is arranged in engagement with the gear 29. A coil spring 42 1 connects the arms intermediate their ends so as to normally maintain" the same in aposition'substantially parallel with the shaft.

It is obvious that as the'drive shaft of the gear is rotated the-shaft 33 will likewise 40 be rotated and the centrifugalforce thereof exerted upon the arms will spread the same apart so as to move therack along the shaft and operate the plunger 8 through the gear 29 and the spindle28, I

in the wall-of the cylinder preferably of a i' triangular ;shape andin a position-so: that the plunger 8 normallypartially closes the same.

t The purpose of theplunger 8 andthe governor 36 is to cause a quicker engagement v of the clutch when the car is in motion than when stationary. Thatis; the governor; will regulate the size of the opening. 43 indirect ratio to "the/speed of the car. The amount of the opening 43,uncoveredby the plunger 8, a's shown'in Figure 4, is sufficient for causingaslow movement of the plunger 9 and therefore a gradual throwing in ofthe clutch. This will cause the car to start away without However, whenthe car is travelling at a high rate rof speed and thegclutch is disengaged, the'governor operates to regulate the size, of the opening 43;; The latter, atthe high rate ofspeed, becomeslarger, and the clutchengages very quickly when the manual pressure iswithdrawn from the clutch pedal.

In the operation of the apparatus with the vehicle in neutral position and with the motor running the drive shaft is of course out of engagement. The clutch pedal is pressed forward and the gear shift lever may be placed in aproper position to engage the driving gears desired, i. e., the low, intermediate or high. The pressing of the clutch pedal operates to move the plunger 7 outwardly of the cylinder thereby bringing the trip carried on the rod 13 in positlon above the spring 22. If the speed'of the motor is'siiflicient no restraining action of the trip will occur and the rod 13 and the shaft 10 willbe permitted to slide rearwardly to force the plunger. ,withinthe, cylinder as the clutch islet in. As the clutch becomes engaged momentum will be imparted to the drive shaft and to the shaft 33 and as the momentum increases the governor operatesto withdraw the plunger 8 outwardly of the cylinder so as topermitthe escapement of the air'bertween the plungers in the c linder which thereby draws the plunger 7 within the cylinder and-permits the complete, engagement of the clutch, V The slow controlling move ment of the plunger -7 will *insurea smooth and slow engagement ofthe clutch-thereby eliminating the jerky motions of the. car which resultffrom a too rajpidletting in of the clutch, I 1 p With my invention it is practically impossible-tofstallpthe motor due to a too rapid engagement of thegclutchas it will be impossible to release the tripwhich through its connections holds the clutch. out of engagement until .fa,-,suifie ie t' fm t Speed is p ob; tained,

A spring 44 may beconnected to the clamp 23 and the-bracket 6 to-assist in maintaining the plunger 7 in engaged position." The fSO t-hat the same'may be adjusted properly 1. The 'combination-iwith a flywheel, fclutch pedal, and adriv'e sha-ft,-of a cylinder having an exhaust opening therein,fa'piston mounted in theeylinder and operatively connected to the clutch'pedal and being movable in the cylinder whenthe clutch pedal is depressed foreffecting'clutch release, a-cat'ch depressed position,v a trip. control mounted the flywheel exceeds a predetermined speed, spring means forurgingthe' piston andpedal of the exhaust opening, and governor- :on-

,clamp 23; also carriesa pin 45--which is in- 'serted in a slot 46-formed inthe link 24and ,for temporarily holding the clutch pedal in 1011- the flywheel, for releasing the catch when trolled means actuated by the drive shaft for causing the second-named piston to uncover the opening in direct ratio to the speed of s the drive shaft.

2. The combination with a'clutch pedal, a flywheel, and driven mechanism, of means for retarding the movement of the pedal into clutch engaged position, means for holding the pedal in clutch released position controlled by the rotating flywheel for releasing the dal-holding means, "and means con v trolled by the driven mechanism for con'-' trolling the retarding means.

GAMILLE BRUNE'EL." 

